A Great Home Starts With A Great Foundation
Proper site preparation includes just a few easy steps and will ensure that your new manufactured home is not only ready for proper set, foundation anchoring and perimeter wall enclosure but will provide many years of trouble free living with greatly reduced ground shifting/settling, wall and ceiling cracking, etc..
We truly care about your home! That's why Magnum requires a properly prepared site for the installation of our engineered HUD/FHA permanent foundation anchoring systems as well as the Magnum® PermaSteel Skirt Wall. NOT only is site preparation a requirement for HUD it also optimizes the performance of your Frost Protected Shallow Foundation.
Prepare Your Site
For new homes, please contact your home dealer and follow the required site preparation in the setup manual for your home. Below are a few general tips on what to expect for site preparation.
Begin by scraping/removing all organic material away from where the home will be set. Organic material can include materials such as wood, grass, twigs, large rocks, brush and tree stumps.
Make sure to check with your home dealer and home installation manual to make sure that you have crowned the home site for proper drainage away from the home.
In order to properly install the perimeter wall Magnum requires the site to be flat and level at the perimeter of the home to ensure the perimeter skirt wall performs optimally and there are NO air gaps under the skirting.
The site should be prepared so that the total of prepared ground is 8 feet larger that the footprint of the home (ex. 2 feet of flat and level ground should extend on each side/end of the home). The larger pad will make allowances for slight alterations in exact placement of the home as well as providing room for the crews to work.
There are a variety of leveling assist devices available (ex. laser levels) in most areas to assist in making sure your site is truly "flat and level".
SANDY GRAVEL BASE PAD
Once the site is prepared "flat and level" a 4" to 6" sandy gravel base pad should be placed over the entire "flat and level" site.
Some examples of proper sandy gravel material would be:
Three Quarter Minus
Half Minus
Sandy Road Base
Please DO NOT use any mix that has aggregate larger than 3/4"!
NO large screened gravel (graded/screened gravel larger than 3/4 without the "fines" or sandy material)
NO "Pit Run" (which includes large rocks...sometimes even small boulders!)
COMPACTION
Once the sandy gravel base is in place the entire pad should be re-checked for "level" and smoothed, if needed (to "flat and level"). The pad should then be rolled or compacted to a recommended 1,000 psf or greater.
*You should ALWAYS make sure to check with your home dealer and the installation manual of your home to make sure that you have prepared your site properly. Magnum can provide GENERAL information on how to prepare your home site but, we always want to make sure that you have prepared your site exactly as the installation manual for your home intended. The installation manual for your home will provide you with a detailed list of instructions on proper drainage under your home and proper crowning of the site PER the manufacturer.
As of June 1, 2016 - HUD 3285 requires back fill on ALL Frost Protected Shallow Foundations. Required perimeter back fill is 12" - 14" sloped for drainage AWAY from the perimeter of the home.
Back fill is the responsibility of the homeowner but we are always happy to provide you with additional information - so give us a call!
LEVELING ASSIST DEVICES
Even though your home site may look level to the naked eye it might not actually be! There are a variety of leveling devices available (i.e. laser levels) to assist in making sure your site is truly level. Most rental equipment stores have these available!
VAPOR BARRIERS
Vapor barriers are required on all new manufactured home sets as of June 1, 2016 PER HUD 3285.
All vapor barriers must be pulled out past the perimeter of the home.
LOCAL PERMITS
If you live in a city or town make sure to obtain all local permits and follow all local codes and requirements for that city.
PREPARING YOUR HOME SITE
You should ALWAYS make sure to check with your home dealer and the installation manual for your home to make sure that you have prepared your site properly.
We can provide you with general information on how to prepare your home site but, we always want to make sure that you have prepared your site exactly as the installation manual for your brand of home intended.
The installation manual for your home will provide you with a detailed list of instructions on proper drainage under your home and proper crowning of the site PER the manufacturer.
Sometimes it's easier to see an example! Below are homes with prepared sites.
House Measurements Worksheet
In order for us to make absolutely sure that we bring the correct amount of materials and tools to the job site - if you've already purchased the Magnum® PermaSteel Skirt Wall or a Frost Protected Shallow Foundation - please print and fill the House Measurements Worksheet out. We want to make sure that we complete your installation with the proper materials and in a timely manner!